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The Odyssey An Epic Journey Important Definitions Epic• An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. Odyssey• An extended journey or trip, sometimes for spiritual reasons. The Author- HOMER All we know about the author of the Odyssey is that he lived some 2700 years ago. By tradition in ancient times, Homer was a blind bard, one of the minstrels who recited long poems about heroes of a bygone age Three Sources of Greek and Roman Epic Adventures • The Iliad- Homer • The Aeneid- Virgil • The OdysseyHomer The Places of the Odyssey Mount Olympus Olympus is a mountain in northern Greece, rising to multiple peaks of over 9000 feet. In mythology, it is the home of the supreme gods, who lived there in a beautiful castle. They were known as the Olympians in consequence The Gods and Goddesses The Divine Players Muses- There were nine goddesses of artistic inspiration, known collectively as the Muses. They were rarely worshipped but often called upon by poets since they aided memory as well as creative spark The Cyclops The Cyclops was the son of the God of Earthquakes. He was a one-eyed giant of the race that built Olympus for the gods The Sirens Although Homer describes the treacherous sweetness of their singing, he does not describe the physical appearance of the Sirens. Later writers visualized them in various combinations of woman and bird. One source also had them playing the lyre and flute in addition to singing Before the Odyssey In the tenth year of the Trojan War, the Greeks tricked the enemy into bringing a colossal wooden horse within the walls of Troy. The Trojans had no idea that Greek soldiers were hidden inside, under the command of Odysseus.. That night they opened the city gates to the Greek army. Troy was destroyed. Now it was time for Odysseus and the other Greeks to return to their kingdoms across the sea. The Trojan War • The Trojan War began when a prince of Troy eloped with the wife of a Greek king. The woman's name was Helen and she became infamous as Helen of Troy. Hers was "the face that launched a thousand ships." Sailing to Troy, they besieged the city for nine years. Homer's other epic, The Iliad, concerns this siege and the many individual battles that were fought between heroes on both sides. The Specifics About the War • Causes of the War – Eris, Goddess of Discord, was angry for not being invited to a wedding party – To cause trouble, she threw an apple into the banquet which said, “For the Fairest.” Eris’s Apple • All of the Goddess at the marriage party wanted to be considered the prettiest, but the choices were narrowed to 3 goddesses. • Hera- Zeus’s Wife • Athena- The goddess of civilization and wisdom • Aphrodite- The goddess of love and beauty The Winner The Son of King Priam, PARIS was chosen to decide on the fairest. The Bribery • Hera offered Power and Land • Athena offered Victory in Battle • Aphrodite offered Paris the most beautiful woman in the world! The Choice • Paris chose APHRODITE • Hera and Athena were offendedWATCH OUT, PARIS! Helen • Aphrodite led Paris to HELEN, the most beautiful woman in the world. • The problem- Helen was already married to Menelaus, the King of Sparta. • Paris kidnapped her! Menelaus’s Revenge • Menelaus was not happy. • The Greek Army sailed off to go to war with Troy. • Helen became known as “the face that launched 1000 ships.” The Gods and Goddesses Greek Warriors Hera and Athena In the Middle Trojan Zeus- He didn’t Aphrodite like the Trojans, Ares (He had a but he didn’t crush on Aphrodite) They were still want to put up with Hera’s mad at Paris for Apollo (A nagging. not choosing friend of them! Hector) The Warriors • Greeks – Achilles – Patroclus – Agamemnon – Ajax – Diomedes – Odysseus • Trojans – Hector – Paris The War • The Greeks were not doing well in the war, so they built the Trojan Horse. The Results • The Greeks won the war, but angered the gods because they forgot to say thank you! • The soldiers captured Cassandra and were mean to her. She was a friend of Athena, who became angry. • Athena asked Poseidon to help her give the Greeks a bitter homecoming. • Many of the Greek ships were lost at sea. Odysseus’s Journey • Odysseus fought in the war for 10 years. Because of the gods’ interference, it took him 10 more years to sail home. These years were not all pleasant. The Structure of the Odyssey Part One Part Two Part Three The story of what happens to Ithaca while Odysseus is gone to war. Odysseus tells of his wanderings during the 10 years trying to get home. Odysseus returns to Ithaca and joins with Telemachus to destroy the men who have taken over his home. Group One • Discuss the similarities between the journey of Odysseus and events that have occurred in your own life. Think about the different choices Odysseus is required to make during his journey. Group Two • Discuss the women in Homer’s work. What role do women play in the Odyssey, and how do you think they represent the women of ancient Greece? Group Three • Select an event from popular culture in which a hero or heroine is placed in a struggle. Examples from movies include Shane, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Saving Private Ryan, Patch Adams, and Alien. Describe how the director or writer makes you feel toward the hero or heroine and his or her opponents. Compare and contrast this to the characters in the Odyssey. Group Four • Explain how the struggles of Odysseus to reach Ithaca are a contest between Poseidon and Athena as well. Group Five • The ancient Greeks truly believed in caring for strangers. Traditional voices in our culture have attempted to continue that tradition by advising all to care for strangers in need and teaching that such assistance is particularly pleasing to God. The media is quick to praise good Samaritans, and civic groups still award medals to humanitarians. But what forces in our time threaten to extinguish this tradition of kindness to and care for strangers? What can we do to care for strangers in need? Group Six • Revenge as a means of obtaining justice was more acceptable in Homer’s society than in our modern society, which has a formidable criminal justice system. Even so, Homer’s idea of revenge bears qualification. Define the nature of revenge in the Odyssey that suggests under what conditions it is an acceptable means of justice.